I looked at the link at the end of the article. While I don't agree
with some fine points here and there, by-in-large I feel it is
brilliant, and the way of the future.
Nachum

Sugar a 'gateway' substance?
By Natalie J. Ostgaard
August 30, 2006

Margaret Adamek, Ph.D. speaks in the CHS auditorium Tuesday.
Sugar is not something people group in the same category as marijuana
or cigarettes. Yet, it is actually a "gateway" substance that could
lead to addiction to harder drugs such as amphetamines, according to
Margaret Adamek, Ph.D.

Adamek, founder and director of the Sugar Project and Special
Projects Director at the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban
and Regional Affairs, talked Tuesday evening about dysfunctional
foods - refined carbohydrates and sugars in particular - and their
profound effects on people. About 25 people attended her presentation
at the high school.

While citing numerous statistics and research from a number of
sources, she showed how the United States is experiencing a public
health crisis due to an interlocking web of socio-economic factors
such as the agricultural industry, health and environment that create
dysfunctional eating patterns in the population.

"We're in the middle of an obesity epidemic," Adamek asserted, "that
radically transformed over the last 20 years."

Statistics

Adamek brought forth statistics on Americans from several reliable
sources to drive home her point:
Administration of amphetamines to children has risen 3,000 percent(Is
this correct or a misprint? Maybe the number should be 300 instead
of 3,000?) in the last 10 years, and 85 percent of all amphetamine
prescriptions are administered to children.

Nearly a third of children are overweight. Obesity rates among
children have doubled in the last 10 years and tripled for
adolescents.

The adult obesity rate is a whopping 64 percent.
About 40 percent of girls and a third of boys born in 2000 will
acquire type II diabetes by the time they turn 50. Between 1990 and
1998, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased 33 percent.

Increasing numbers of children are diagnosed with attention deficit
disorder, depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Children who
are obese also tend to be depressed.

Since 1970, consumption of high-fructose corn syrup has increased
4,000-plus percent, and we eat 300 calories more per day due to
carbohydrate consumption. In the same period, refined carbohydrate
consumption rose 50 percent.

One-third of children and a fourth of adults eat fast food every day.
This is besides the processed foods they receive at school and home.

Between 1983 and 1999, sugar intake rose 30 percent to 158 pounds per
person per year.(This is accurate, in other words nearly a haly pound
a day, Nachum)

Since 1977, soft drink consumption is up 135 percent.

Junk foods - dense, nutrient-poor foods with no dietary benefit -
comprise 27 percent of the average daily food intake.

Research
Everyone knows high sugar consumption as well as other refined carbs
and fats can lead to obesity. But, Adamek pointed out, more and more
research is proving a correlation between high intake of these foods
and a whole slough of problems such as diabetes, depression, anxiety,
attention deficit disorder and various addictions.

Adamek referred to research conducted by Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons,
president and CEO of Radiant Recovery(r), an innovative diet-based
treatment program for alcoholism, depression, addiction and
compulsive behaviors. Her research into the theory of "sugar
sensitivity" spawned the field of addictive nutrition.

DesMaisons determined four neurochemical roots of the problem,
which "sugar sensitive" people are born with: volatile blood sugar
(diabetes, fatigue, moodiness, lack of concentration and emotional
outbursts); and low levels of serotonin (depression, aggression, poor
attention and impulsive behavior); beta endorphin (chemical
dependence, and a sense of victimization and alienation); and
dopamine (drug and alcohol addiction, low self-esteem, violence and
anger).

"Someone with carbohydrate sensitivity is affected 35 times greater
when ingesting the same amount as someone who is not carb sensitive,"
Adamek explained. "The intensity of the reaction created big peaks
and valleys with moods and blood sugars."

The biochemical result is that sugar has an addictive drug effect on
the brain. Children who are addicted to sugar are much more likely to
become addicted to other substances as they get older, she added.

Families from certain ethnic groups tend to have more alcoholism,
diabetes, obesity and depression run through their family trees, she
added.

Dieters typically use artificial sweeteners to save on carbs. This
does not work as well as it seems, Adamek noted, because research
indicates that the sweet taste alone stimulates the addictive opiate
response in the brain.

Choices, changes and a plan

Do these statistics and research mean anyone suffering from sugar
sensitivity is doomed? Hardly, Adamek stressed.

"There is hope and, with a little hard work, you can change your
eating habits and consequently your life."

Adamek said the standard medical approach to solving the previously
mentioned emotional and physical problems has been to prescribe drugs
for the symptoms: Paxil for anxiety, Prozac for depression, insulin
for diabetes and Ritalin for ADHD.

"We have another line of defense, however," she said. "Food."

DesMaisons developed a seven-step approach to gradually remove
refined carbohydrates and processed food from one's diet and replace
them with quality protein and complex carbohydrates, fresh fruits and
vegetables and essential fatty acids. While the exact steps may vary
depending on factors such as age and dietary restrictions, the plan
includes regular meal and snack times, keeping track of eating and
emotional patterns and changing food choices.

When feeding children, it is important that they get enough healthy
food for their size and age and at regular intervals, she said. Fruit
juice, while good in small amounts, can also be easily overdone.

"A 20-ounce bottle of apple juice is far too much for an 8-year-old,"
she noted. "Just one small glass a day is sufficient.

"This is nothing you haven't heard before," Adamek said. "These are
just simple, healthy eating strategies you can use the rest of your
life."

She is happy to see schools moving toward healthier food choices for
students, but there is still a long way to go, she said.

"A few innovative projects are going on that incorporate fresh food
from local farms," Adamek explained. "But many schools still
regularly use a lot of processed foods in their lunch programs."

So families need to take the helm and move toward cutting the junk
out of their diets themselves. In time, she said, children will stop
resisting the change and learn to like the foods, which incidentally
don't have to cost an arm and a leg.

"This is doable on fixed incomes. There are a lot of inexpensive
proteins. Eggs are always fairly cheap."

Adamek stressed that anyone following DesMaisons' diet will feel much
more energetic, happy and healthy overall. It has also been known to
alleviate many of the emotional problems associated with
dysfunctional eating.

Check out the website www.radiantrecovery.com for more detailed
information, diet tips and community forums.